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Agence France-Presse

Mount Fuji’s summer climbing season began on Monday with new crowd control measures to combat overtourism on the Japanese volcano’s most popular trail.
An entry fee of 2,000 yen (US$13) plus an optional donation is being charged for those taking on the Yoshida Trail, and numbers are capped at 4,000 per day.
Online reservations have also been introduced this year by authorities concerned about safety and environmental damage on Japan’s highest mountain.
“I really like the idea because if you respect the mountain, you have to limit the people,” hiker Chetna Joshi said at the trail’s Fifth Station – a busy starting point for hikers that is reachable by car.

The 47-year-old from India compared the crowds seen at Fuji in recent years to the “traffic jam” of climbers at the peak of Mount Everest.
Although windy and drizzly weather on Monday prevented hikers from reaching the summit, Joshi said ascending part way was still a “great experience”.
“I love mountains. I think it is not giving me permission this time, that’s OK. I accept it,” she said.
Record tourist crowds are flocking to Japan post-pandemic, with many wanting to see or scale Mount Fuji.
The mountain is covered in snow most of the year but draws more than 220,000 visitors each July-September climbing period.
Many trudge through the night to see the sunrise from the 3,776-metre (12,388-foot) summit.
Some sleep on the trail or start fires for heat, while others attempt to complete the hike without breaks, becoming sick or injured as a result.
The once-peaceful pilgrimage site has three other main routes that will remain free to climb.


But the Yoshida Trail – accessed from Tokyo relatively easily – is the preferred option for most holidaymakers, with around 60 per cent of climbers choosing that route.
Each summer, reports in Japanese media describe tourists climbing Mount Fuji with insufficient mountaineering equipment.
The new measures were introduced “first and foremost to protect lives”, governor Kotaro Nagasaki of Yamanashi prefecture has said.
In a reminder of the dangers, last week four bodies were found near the summit, according to local media reports.
“I personally feel like I’ve over-prepared,” Geoffrey Kula, a climber from the United States, said.
“Having looked at the forecast, being ready to swap out multiple outfits if clothes get wet and things like that. Yeah, it just seems like another crazy adventure.”

Monthly visitors to Japan exceeded three million for the first time in March, and then again in April and May.
The tourism chief has deemed the country’s ambitious goal of attracting 60 million foreign tourists well within reach, having last year welcomed more than 25 million.
Mount Fuji is about two hours from central Tokyo by train and can be seen for miles around.
The mountain is a symbol of Japan that has been immortalised in countless artworks, including Hokusai’s “Great Wave”.
But as in other tourist hotspots, such as Venice – which recently launched a trial of entry fees for day visitors – the influx has not been universally welcomed.
In May, a town near Mount Fuji mounted a large barrier at a popular viewing spot for the volcano in an attempt to deter photo-taking by an ever-growing number of tourists.
Residents were fed up with streams of mostly foreign visitors littering, trespassing and breaking traffic rules in their hunt for a photo to share on social media.
Similar woes have befallen the country’s ancient capital of Kyoto, where locals have complained of tourists harassing the city’s famed geisha.


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Japan

In Japan, Mount Fuji hiking season begins with new crowd control measures

Trekkers climb the Yoshida Trail to the top of Mount Fuji. Photo: Kyodo

Climbers gather on the first day of the climbing season. Photo: Reuters

Visitors pose for a photo on the first day of climbing season. Photo: Reuters

Another barrier to Mount Fuji photo taking is going up as tourists disturb residents

The Mount Fuji Dream Bridge recently found fame on Instagram, leading foreign tourists to flock there. With jaywalking causing frustration for residents, authorities have announced they will put up a fence. Photo: Getty Images

A foreign tourist poses for a photo in front of the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store, which was famous for its views of Mount Fuji before a screen was put up there last month. Photo: EPA

Foreign tourists take pictures of Mount Fuji at the Lawson Fujikawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store in May, 2024 – before a black screen was erected there to obscure the famous view. Photo: EPA

A worker installs a black net at the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko to obscure the view of Mount Fuji and deter photography. Photo: EPA

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Sheets of newly-designed Japanese 10,000 yen banknotes move through a machine at the National Printing Bureau Tokyo plant in Tokyo. Photo: Bloomberg

Japan’s weak yen boosts tourism, raises ‘overtourism’ concerns

Tourists gather before Kiyomizu-dera temple, a famous tourist destination near Gion district, in Kyoto, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE

Blocked views of Japan’s Mount Fuji force developer to stop building project after outcry

Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak at 3,776-metres tall, as seen from an airplane window. Photo: AP

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by artist Katsushika Hokusai, featuring Mount Fuji in the background. Photo: Handout

Workers install a barrier to block the sight of Japan’s Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store to deter badly behaved tourists in Fujikawaguchiko. Photo: AFP

A hiker reaching the summit of Mount Fuji. Photo: AFP

Japan seeks more visitors despite overtourism woes

Visitors stroll at Kiyomizu-dera temple, a popular attraction among tourists, in Kyoto. Photo: Reuters

Tourists gather near a bus at Mount Fuji 5th station in Yamanashi prefecture. Photo: EPA-EFE

World Heritage-listed Himeji Castle is lit up in red and blue on Monday, marking 300 days to go until the start of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka. Photo: Kyodo

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Numbers capped at 4,000 climbers per day for the Yoshida Trail, the most commonly used route up the 3,776-metre mountain


Local authorities are charging entrance fees for the first time and restricting numbers of climbers to combat overtourism on the Japanese volcano’s most popular trail.


Asia travel

Tourism

Volcanoes